WayPoint Pastoral Transition
God's Got This!
After more than two decades of steady, faithful ministry at WayPoint, Pastor Tim believes it’s time to begin a transition out of the Lead Pastor role. While this is a bittersweet moment for our church family, we trust God is leading us step by step.
WayPoint Pastoral Transition Q & A
Below are some of the questions we’ve already received — and our best attempts to answer them honestly and prayerfully.
A note here at the beginning:
As we’ve thought about what this transition is going to look like, we’ve received some wise perspective. Many people see a transition like this as a baton passing. That fits a little, but a better metaphor is to view WayPoint as an ecosystem. There are so many different people and relationships at WayPoint that need to be balanced in a healthy way in the next months. It’s our aim to prayerfully discern the next right steps to maintain harmony and growth in the WayPoint ecosystem during this season of change. Now for the Q & A…
Q: Why is Tim leaving?
A: Tim is leaving his role as pastor because he feels called to do the next faithful thing that Jesus asks of him. He is pursuing writing and interim pastoral ministry, specifically filling in between lead pastors. While he believes God has used him and his giftings well in this role, he feels it is now time to entrust the ministry to someone else. This decision has been prayed about for several years, with more intentional focus over the past six months alongside Tina. At the moment, they are not planning on leaving the area. At the end of the transition, they plan on worshipping somewhere else in order to give new leadership space to develop their vision.
Q: Yeah…But what’s the REAL reason Tim’s leaving?
A: See above for the real reason.
Q: Who will replace Tim?
A: We’re not sure yet. We’re working with the Converge Placement Network to clarify our best options. To be clear, Converge has no authority to decide who replaces Tim. We’ve been partnering with Converge for the last several years to plant and strengthen churches. Now, they’ll be guiding us in this transition just as they have guided dozens of other churches over the last few years. We are looking internally at staff first, pastor Mark is interested in the position and Drew is not pursuing it. Both men are highly capable and will be critically important through this season.
Q. Who decides who will replace Tim?
A: WayPoint’s constitution clearly states that “the selection of the senior pastor will be by the Board of Elders. Final approval is by a congregational 75% majority vote.” Whoever the Elders recommend, the decision cannot and will not be made without the input and approval of the congregation. We value your opinion in making this big decision for the next stage of WayPoint.
Q: What is the process we’ll be going through to place a new pastor?
A: We don’t have the whole process mapped out, but we have a start. Our Elders and pastoral staff are working with the Converge Placement Network on a self-assessment of WayPoint’s identity. This will include theological beliefs, leadership style, and culture. Simultaneously, our current pastoral staff will complete detailed profiles to assess their skills, spiritual gifts, calling, personality, and ministry philosophy. This will give us an idea of our next steps.
Q: How will this affect WayPoint South?
A: WayPoint is “one church in two locations.” In our leadership model, Pastor Tim is the lead pastor over WayPoint Church. So, WayPoint South will feel the loss of Tim alongside North. Wherever this transition takes us, our leadership is committed to balancing the ecosystem of WayPoint Church in a healthy way that also sets us up to fulfill our God-given mission.
Q: What is a rough time frame for this transition?
A: Tentatively, we believe that the entire transition process should take roughly a year. Pastor Tim desires to transition well. Therefore, he is willing to stick around and provide whatever help is needed to ensure the ongoing health of WayPoint.
Q: How will we know when important things are happening in the transition?
A: We are committed to clear and frequent communication throughout this process. For any questions during the transition, please email Keith Taft at [email protected].
To stay updated on our pastoral transition:
Q: How are we planning on honoring Tim’s years of service?
A: Less than 3% of pastors make it past 20 years of service. (WOW!) Before the transition is finalized, we’re going to throw a big celebration to honor him for those years.
Q: What’s my part?
A: First and most importantly — pray. Pray for wisdom, unity, and clarity as we move forward together. Second, stay engaged. Share your thoughts, ask your questions, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our leaders. Finally, be part of the celebration! Let’s honor what God has done through Tim’s faithful ministry and prepare our hearts for what’s next.
For any additional questions, comments, or just to set up a meeting to process how you’re feeling about the transition, send us an email:
Elders: [email protected]
Tim Stobbe: [email protected]
Mark Klingler: [email protected]
Below are some of the questions we’ve already received — and our best attempts to answer them honestly and prayerfully.
A note here at the beginning:
As we’ve thought about what this transition is going to look like, we’ve received some wise perspective. Many people see a transition like this as a baton passing. That fits a little, but a better metaphor is to view WayPoint as an ecosystem. There are so many different people and relationships at WayPoint that need to be balanced in a healthy way in the next months. It’s our aim to prayerfully discern the next right steps to maintain harmony and growth in the WayPoint ecosystem during this season of change. Now for the Q & A…
Q: Why is Tim leaving?
A: Tim is leaving his role as pastor because he feels called to do the next faithful thing that Jesus asks of him. He is pursuing writing and interim pastoral ministry, specifically filling in between lead pastors. While he believes God has used him and his giftings well in this role, he feels it is now time to entrust the ministry to someone else. This decision has been prayed about for several years, with more intentional focus over the past six months alongside Tina. At the moment, they are not planning on leaving the area. At the end of the transition, they plan on worshipping somewhere else in order to give new leadership space to develop their vision.
Q: Yeah…But what’s the REAL reason Tim’s leaving?
A: See above for the real reason.
Q: Who will replace Tim?
A: We’re not sure yet. We’re working with the Converge Placement Network to clarify our best options. To be clear, Converge has no authority to decide who replaces Tim. We’ve been partnering with Converge for the last several years to plant and strengthen churches. Now, they’ll be guiding us in this transition just as they have guided dozens of other churches over the last few years. We are looking internally at staff first, pastor Mark is interested in the position and Drew is not pursuing it. Both men are highly capable and will be critically important through this season.
Q. Who decides who will replace Tim?
A: WayPoint’s constitution clearly states that “the selection of the senior pastor will be by the Board of Elders. Final approval is by a congregational 75% majority vote.” Whoever the Elders recommend, the decision cannot and will not be made without the input and approval of the congregation. We value your opinion in making this big decision for the next stage of WayPoint.
Q: What is the process we’ll be going through to place a new pastor?
A: We don’t have the whole process mapped out, but we have a start. Our Elders and pastoral staff are working with the Converge Placement Network on a self-assessment of WayPoint’s identity. This will include theological beliefs, leadership style, and culture. Simultaneously, our current pastoral staff will complete detailed profiles to assess their skills, spiritual gifts, calling, personality, and ministry philosophy. This will give us an idea of our next steps.
Q: How will this affect WayPoint South?
A: WayPoint is “one church in two locations.” In our leadership model, Pastor Tim is the lead pastor over WayPoint Church. So, WayPoint South will feel the loss of Tim alongside North. Wherever this transition takes us, our leadership is committed to balancing the ecosystem of WayPoint Church in a healthy way that also sets us up to fulfill our God-given mission.
Q: What is a rough time frame for this transition?
A: Tentatively, we believe that the entire transition process should take roughly a year. Pastor Tim desires to transition well. Therefore, he is willing to stick around and provide whatever help is needed to ensure the ongoing health of WayPoint.
Q: How will we know when important things are happening in the transition?
A: We are committed to clear and frequent communication throughout this process. For any questions during the transition, please email Keith Taft at [email protected].
To stay updated on our pastoral transition:
- Share your email via a connect card as we will be using email to communicate.
- Follow us on social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram). A significant next step should be decided by early August.
- Check back on this page.
Q: How are we planning on honoring Tim’s years of service?
A: Less than 3% of pastors make it past 20 years of service. (WOW!) Before the transition is finalized, we’re going to throw a big celebration to honor him for those years.
Q: What’s my part?
A: First and most importantly — pray. Pray for wisdom, unity, and clarity as we move forward together. Second, stay engaged. Share your thoughts, ask your questions, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our leaders. Finally, be part of the celebration! Let’s honor what God has done through Tim’s faithful ministry and prepare our hearts for what’s next.
For any additional questions, comments, or just to set up a meeting to process how you’re feeling about the transition, send us an email:
Elders: [email protected]
Tim Stobbe: [email protected]
Mark Klingler: [email protected]